Zambia, Zimbabwe face wake-up call after Kariba dam water levels plunge, Minister says
A plunge in water levels at the world’s largest man-made reservoir, which has left Zambia and Zimbabwe without power for hours, shows why they need to diversify their energy sources, according to a top official.
“The over-dependence on hydropower has exposed the vulnerability of the energy mix,” Zambia’s Energy Minister Makozo Chikote said. “This has been a wake-up call that has taught us to start thinking of alternative sources,” he said at an energy summit Monday held in the resort city of Victoria Falls.
Zambia and Zimbabwe rely on the Kariba Dam for most of their electricity. But a severe drought has reduced water available for power generation to 2.4%, compared with 15.5% a year earlier, according to the Zambezi River Authority, which manages water allocations between the two nations.
Currently, Kariba is only producing about a tenth of its installed capacity of 1 050 megawatts. That’s left Zambia and Zimbabwe enduring hours-long power outages hindering industries such as mining and agriculture and curtailing economic growth.
To address the shortfall, Zambia is seeking to ramp up its use of solar power, Chikote said.
The two nations should also explore the possibility of setting up “large-scale solar farms” that can generate enough power for regional exports, said Zimbabwe’s Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, at the event. “These initiatives will not only enhance our national energy security but also position both nations as key players in the regional energy market.”
Comments
Research Reports
Projects
Latest Multimedia
Latest News
Showroom
Weir Minerals Europe, Middle East and Africa is a global supplier of excellent minerals solutions, including pumps, valves, hydrocyclones,...
VISIT SHOWROOM
M and J Mining are leading suppliers of physical support systems as used by the underground mining industry. Our selection of products are not...
VISIT SHOWROOM
Press Office
Announcements
What's On
Subscribe to improve your user experience...
Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):
Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):
All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors
including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.
Already a subscriber?
Forgotten your password?
Receive weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine (print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
➕
Recieve daily email newsletters
➕
Access to full search results
➕
Access archive of magazine back copies
➕
Access to Projects in Progress
➕
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format
RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA
R4500 (equivalent of R375 a month)
SUBSCRIBEAll benefits from Option 1
➕
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports on various industrial and mining sectors, in PDF format, including on:
Electricity
➕
Water
➕
Energy Transition
➕
Hydrogen
➕
Roads, Rail and Ports
➕
Coal
➕
Gold
➕
Platinum
➕
Battery Metals
➕
etc.
Receive all benefits from Option 1 or Option 2 delivered to numerous people at your company
➕
Multiple User names and Passwords for simultaneous log-ins
➕
Intranet integration access to all in your organisation
